You're on a bus. 20 people get on at the first stop. At the next stop 45 people get on. At the 3rd stop 48 people get off. Then at the next stop 5 people get off and 9 get on. At the last stop 21 people get off 2 people are left. How is this possible? (Who's still on the bus)!?
Think about the person who's been on the bus the entire time...
This is possible because you and the bus driver are still on the bus!
Terry had just returned to Chicago via. American Airlines at 12 midnight. He was extremely tired after having just completed a seven-day bridge tournament in California. After retrieving his single piece of luggage, he immediately hailed a taxi to take him to the nearest Red Roof Inn ------ Terry's favorite hotel. As he instructed the cabbie concerning his desired destination, he could plainly see the Spanish-speaking driver had no idea what was being said to him. Luckily, Terry remembered some of his high school Spanish, so he simply told the driver, "Tejado Rojo," which means "Red Roof" in Spanish. The cabbie immediately nodded to show his understanding, and he began driving to the requested destination. Upon arrival, Terry, who was barely awake by this time, paid the driver and entered the front door of the establishment. When he asked the receptionist for a room, the response he received was, "Are you on drugs? There is no place to sleep here!" Where do you suppose the cab driver had taken Terry?
Think about the literal translation of "Tejado Rojo" and what it could refer to besides a hotel...
The closest Pizza Hut. Almost, if not all of them have red roofs.
Ron and Terry are both dressed in camouflage clothing and are completely surrounded by dead bodies. As veterans of the Army, they are both on a mission to locate some of their comrades. Neither Terry nor Ron are carrying any weapons, but they have no fear of being harmed. They look about the terrain which surrounds them, but all they see are grass and large and small stones. Terry jumps up on one of the large stones to get a better view of their surroundings, but Ron suggests to Terry that his standing on the big stone might be viewed as disrespectful, and Terry jumps down. "I counted 27 flags while I was up there," says Terry to Ron, "so let's go check them out." In what activity are Ron and Terry engaged?
Think about a place where you'd typically find flags, grass, and stones...
Ron and Terry are veterans who are looking for the grave sites of some of the soldiers they served with in the Army. The large and small stones are tombstones, and the American flags mark the graves of the veterans who are buried in that cemetery.
One night, Reyanna-a young and famous singer who recorded her first album just a half a year ago-was invited to perform at a concert. When it was her turn to sing, the audience was extremely excited…but Reyanna never appeared on the stage; she was found in her dressing room, unconscious. Police officers questioned three other singers who had to perform that night. Maria: I'm new to show business, so I came up to Reyanna to ask for some advice, but I didn't hit her! Christina: My cousin is one of Reyanna's biggest fans; she's been listening to her for years! I've even gotten her autograph for her! Erica: I didn't even see Reyanna-I was too nervous to leave my dressing room to go on stage! Who hit Reyanna?
Think about who would have a motive to harm Reyanna, and what clues each singer's statement might be hiding...
It was Christina who hit Reyanna. She said that her cousin had been listening to Reyanna for YEARS, but the singer recorded her first album only six MONTHS ago.
Here are two statements: 1) Some men are kings. 2) All kings have golden crowns. Here are two conclusions: 1) All men have golden crowns. 2) All kings are men. Which conclusion, if any, is correct?
Think about the direction of the implications: the original statements only tell you about a subset of men (kings) and a property of kings (golden crowns), but they don't say everything about all men or all things with golden crowns.
Neither conclusion is correct. Conclusion 1 is incorrect; not all men have golden crowns because only SOME men are kings. Conclusion 2 is also incorrect; not all kings are men because all kings have golden crowns, but men do not (men are usually of a lower status than kings). Therefore, both conclusions are incorrect.
The cost of making only the maker knows, Valueless if bought, but sometimes traded. A poor man may give one as easily as a king. When one is broken pain and deceit are assured. What am I?
Think about something that is priceless, yet worthless if you try to buy it, and is often exchanged between people, regardless of their social status...
There were two mothers and two daughters, and they all went fishing. All of them caught a fish but when they counted there were only three fish. How was this possible?
Think about family relationships and generations...
There were only three because there was a grandmother a mother and a daughter. The mother was the daughter to the grandmother and she was the mother to the mother and the daughter was the daughter to the mother.
A man runs along a hall with a piece of paper. When the lights flicker, he drops to his knees and begins to cry. Why?
Think about a specific activity that people often do in a hall with a piece of paper, and how the flickering lights might be a crucial part of that activity...
He is running to deliver a pardon, and the flickering lights indicate the convict to be pardoned has just been electrocuted.
Draw four rectangles on a piece of paper. Put nine x's in the four rectangles so that there is an uneven number of x's in each rectangle.
Think about how you can distribute the 9 x's among the 4 rectangles in a way that each rectangle has a different number of x's, and none of them have an even number...
Draw one large rectangle. Then draw the three smaller rectangles within the large rectangle. Place three x's in each small rectangle. There will be nine x's in the large rectangle.
Nick timed himself and found out that if he wore a bright white outfit he ran 20 miles in 80 minutes, but when he wore a dark outfit, he ran 20 miles in one hour and twenty minutes. What does this mean for his next race?
Think about how the color of Nick's outfit might be affecting his performance, but not in a physical way...
Nothing, as 80 minutes equals an hour and twenty minutes.
Many different types of my last seven letters can be found in newspapers, magazines, & journals. Physicists have built devices to get me moving very fast. What am I?
Think about a word that has multiple meanings, and its last 7 letters relate to written publications, while also being connected to speed and physics...
Jordan is leaving from a small town in Wyoming and hiking through the wilderness to a post where he will spend the summer. The hike will take Jordan six days. One man can only carry enough food and water for four days. Jordan cannot take a mule or any other animal to haul his food and water, because there will be insufficient food and supplies for the animals at his destination.
How can Jordan make it to his destination?
Think about what Jordan can do on the way back...
Jordan takes two other hikers with him. Each hiker starts out with a four day supply of food and water. After the first day, the first hiker gives a one day supply to each Jordan and the second hiker. This leaves the first hiker with a one day supply to go home and Jordan and the second hiker now each have a four day supply again. After the second day, the second hiker gives Jordan a one day supply and keep a two day supply for himself so that he can get home. This gives Jordan a four day supply of food and water, and now he has enough to reach his destination.
There is a barrel with no lid and some wine in it. "This barrel of wine is more than half full," said Curly. "No it's not," says Mo. "It's less than half full." Without any measuring implements and without removing any wine from the barrel, how can they easily determine who is correct?
"Think about the shape of the barrel..."
Tilt the barrel until the wine barely touches the lip of the barrel. If the bottom of the barrel is visible then it is less than half full. If the barrel bottom is still completely covered by the wine, then it is more than half full.
A hiker comes to a fork in the road and doesn't know which way to go to reach his destination. There are two men at the fork, one of whom always tells the truth while the other always lies. The hiker doesn't know which is which, though. He may ask one of the men only one question to find his way. Which man does he ask, and what is the question?
Think about asking a question that will give you a reliable answer regardless of whether you're talking to the truth-teller or the liar...
Either man should be asked the following question: "If I were to ask you if this is the way I should go, would you say yes?" While asking the question, the hiker should be pointing at either of the directions going from the fork.
While playing with a metal washer shaped like a ring, Dave accidentally pushed it on his finger too far and couldn't get it off. Trying to remove it using soap and water didn't work. The hospital sent him to a service station thinking they could cut the metal. Since the ring was made with specially hardened steel, it couldn't be cut. Just then Bob arrived on the scene and suggested an easy way to remove the washer in just a few minutes. What was his solution?
"Think about a common service station tool that can help 'inflate' the situation..."
Bob suggested that Dave hold his finger in the air while someone wound a piece of string tightly around his finger just above the metal ring. The string forced the swelling down. As they unwounded the string from the end nearest the ring, someone else slid the ring up. They continued winding and unwinding the string until the ring could be easily removed.
I am a three-digit number. All of my digits are prime. One of the numbers is even. Each of my numbers are used only once. The total of my first and last digits equals 10. The total of my first two digits equals 5.
Think about the properties of prime numbers... Which prime number is even?
This one is fairly easy if you use elimination if you follow all the first 5 steps you get three options: 525, 327, and 723 but if you followed the last step you would reach your answer. The answer was 327.
Which number would be bigger: the product of all of the numbers on your calculator, or the SUM of those numbers?
Think about the number 0...
The sum would be bigger because multiplying any number by zero always results in zero. Yes, you have to include zero; it is also a number on your calculator.
David is throwing Robert a surprise birthday party but he has to stay within his budget. He spent half of his money plus $2.00 on the cake. Half of what he had left plus $2.00 was spent on balloons and streamers. Then he spent half of what he had left plus $1.00 on candy. Now he is out of money, how much did he start with?
Think backwards! Start with the last transaction and work your way up to find the initial amount.
This one is best solved working backwards, the last part David spent half of what was left plus $1.00 on candy and then was out of money. That means he must have spent $2.00 on Candy as $1.00 was half of what he had using the same logic backwards: $2.00 on candy $6.00 on Balloons and Streamers $12.00 on the cake Total of $20.00.
When I asked her how old she was, she smiled and said cryptically: "The day before yesterday I was 22, but next year I'll be 25." What is her birthday and when was the date of our conversation?
Think about the significance of "the day before yesterday" and how it relates to the current year...
We conversed on January 1 and her birthday was on December 31. So, the day before yesterday on Dec. 30th she was 22 and he turned 23 on Dec. 31. So her next birthday, when she turns 24, would be Dec. 31 of the same year the question was asked. However, next years birthday would be the following year on Dec. 31, when she would be 25.
A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him underwater for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?
Think about a profession that involves developing photographs...
The woman was a photographer. She shot a picture of her husband, developed it, and hung it up to dry.
Four cars come to a four-way stop, all coming from a different direction. They can't decide who got there first, so they all go forward at the same time. They do not crash into each other, but all four cars go. How is this possible?
A group of privates were standing in the blistering sun facing due west. Their sergeant shouted at them: Right turn! About turn! Left turn!
In which direction are they now facing?
Think about the sequence of turns and how they affect the direction the privates are facing... Remember, they started facing west!
You're sitting down for breakfast and realize you have 4 bagels left. You know you'll run out in four days so you cut them in half. How many bagels do you have now?
Think about the action of "cutting in half" rather than the quantity of bagels...
I have a big mouth and I am also quite loud! I am NOT a gossip but I do get involved with everyone's dirty business. What am I?
Think about something that's often found in a busy, crowded area, and is used by many people, but also has a reputation for being "dirty" or "grimy"...
I make you weak at the worst of all times. I keep you safe, I keep you fine. I make your hands sweat, and your heart grow cold, I visit the weak, but seldom the bold. What am I?
Think about a situation where you're most vulnerable, and a certain presence can either harm or protect you...
I make what science believes to be fantasy become reality in the blink of an eye. Doctors consider me a cause of insanity if to much of me in your life is applied. When most age I began to disappear for as most age they apply more logic and reason to their thoughts. My biggest fear is to not get used and to be forgot. What am I?
Think about something that can make the impossible possible, but can also drive people crazy if they have too much of it. It's something that people often lose as they get older and become more rational...
I bring death with a mighty blow. I can ruin nations with a mighty hole. Many people may die. Many people will cry. A battle is won at least. In the end I can bring peace. What am I?
Think about something that can cause massive destruction, but is also a crucial element in resolving conflicts...
You feel me sometimes, but I never appear in new things. Joy and excitement are definitely my antidote, and sadness and pain are effective ways to drive me away. What am I?
Think about emotions and how they can change your physical sensations...
In shadows it dances, in daylight, it gleams, Found in the echoes of both waking and dreams. It lingers in whispers, a secret untold, In the tapestry of tales, its threads unfold. It weaves through the chapters of joy and despair, A silent companion in the heart’s deep lair. From the mountain’s proud peak to the valley so low, It flows with the rivers that steadily grow. It’s sung in the songs of the ages gone by, A constant companion, though silent, oh my! What am I?
When you buy me I am costly, but the only use I have is just hanging.
What am I?
Think about something that is expensive to purchase, but its primary function is simply to be suspended or displayed, often adding aesthetic value rather than serving a practical purpose...
You're never too old to learn. What is the contradictory proverb?
Think about a phrase that suggests the opposite of being open to learning or acquiring new knowledge, often associated with a particular stage of life...
Think about something that consumes everything in its path, yet produces more of itself, and ultimately leads to the growth and development of others. It's a natural process that's essential for life.
I exist, but have no material form. I am made of numbers, but appear square. I build upon other of my own, but do not topple down. I sit still and do nothing, but I'm still useful. What am I?
Think about something you might find in a math textbook or a calculator, and consider the multiple meanings of the word "square"...
Black and Blue. Red and Green. Yellow and Blue. Green and Grey. I am all colours. You can try to get close to me, but you can't escape my vision. If you get greedy, you will try to take your colours for yourself, but before you know it, I will be eating you for lunch. What am I?
Think about something that can be associated with many colors, and has the ability to "see" or observe everything around it. It's something that you might try to take advantage of, but it can ultimately consume you if you're not careful. The answer is not a living thing, but it's often found in a place where people gather.
A father and son were in a car accident where the father was killed. The ambulance brought the son to the hospital. He needed immediate surgery. In the operating room, a doctor came in and looked at the little boy and said I can't operate on him he is my son.
Who is the doctor?
The hint is: Think outside the traditional family structure.
The owner of a Lost-and-Found faced a big argument between a man and a blind woman. The two of them were arguing over car keys that they came across simultaneously. The owner decided to tell the two of them to stop arguing because he knew who the car keys belonged to. Who?
Think about the fact that the woman is blind... how would she know what she came across?
The car keys belong to the man. Remember that the woman is blind? Well, you can't drive safely if you're blind!